MIDI

iOS has matured as a music-making platform in recent years, but those of us who wish to hook-up a real MIDI controller such as a keyboard or drum machine to an iPad or iPhone generally need to use a couple of cables and adapters per device. It's a minor issue, but one that feels distinctly un-Apple. The PUC iOS MIDI interface by Zivix promises to free iOS music-makers from this hassle by enabling a MIDI controller to connect to an iOS device wirelessly. Read More

Roger Linn's wildly successful LinnDrum drum machine was a big part of the computer-pop revolution that sucked the soul and humanity out of pop music in the 1980s. Now, he's part of a group of innovators desperately trying to get soul, expression and instrumental virtuosity back into pop music with a suite of next-generation instruments. The Linnstrument has been many years in the making, and it's now about to hit the market – a MIDI controller designed to give as much feel and expression as an acoustic instrument, but with the wild sonic possibilities available through today's synthesizers. Read More

In addition to showing off its new Fluence pickup at this year's Winter NAMM, Fishman followed last year's debut of Godin's Session Custom TriplePlay guitar with a TriplePlay version of Fender's HSS Stratocaster. The wireless MIDI controller and hex pickup allows players to tap into a world of almost infinite digital sound generation, tracking the picking and neck action and sending the signals to a computer for processing and output. Gizmag was given the opportunity to give the system a whirl, but rather than break in a brand new instrument, we opted to attach the stand-alone version of the system to an otherwise innocent and unsuspecting guitar of our own. Read More

Lego. Is there anyone who doesn't love letting the creative juices flow to build everything from 3D printers to cars you can ride in to musical instruments? During the recent MidiHack weekend in Stockholm, Sweden, an unofficial collaboration between a university professor and three developers from Native Instruments yielded a rather impressive step sequencer, complete with XY pad, faders and rotary controls. Read More

In a world increasingly dominated by touchscreens, a London design studio is taking an approach to touch that's both low(er)-tech and innovative at the same time. Bare Conductive raised over US$200,000 on Kickstarter last year for an Arduino-based project called Touch Board that turns any conductive material into a potential capacitive touch input, including the firm's own conductive electric paint. Gizmag's Eric Mack was able to see the Touch Board in action and speak with co-founder Matt Johnson at the Bay Area Maker Faire. Read More

Solo musicians looking to generate their own backing tracks or DJs wanting to lay down some beats can seek out software solutions, but those who really want to get their hands dirty may prefer to opt for rhythm machines like the recently-announced Electron Rytm or Roland's Aira TB-3. Such things can prove expensive choices though, which makes Akai's vintage-inspired Rhythm Wolf analog drum machine and bass synth with built-in sequencing quite a compelling piece of kit. And yes, it comes with a sonic howl feature. Read More

There are a number of ways to take digital amp and effects modeling to the gig or studio, including the new AMPLIFi models from Line 6, or routing your signal through a laptop or tablet running something like AmpliTube. Accessing and controlling settings on a device screen can be somewhat fiddly, though, and many guitarists feel more comfortable with physical knobs and switches. This is where the Amperage MIDI controller pedal could help to bridge the gap between analog stomp familiarity and the brave new world of digital tone tweaking. Read More

Artiphon has launched a limited beta testing program for its intriguing Instrument 1 for iPhone and iPod touch, first announced in late 2012. Approved testers will be sent out a pre-production model free of charge. Read More

Mobile music technology company IK Multimedia looks set to release some cool new products in 2014. Gizmag takes a quick look at the just-announced iRig Mic HD and iRing, and previews a few of the gadgets set to follow later in the year, including the iRig PADS MIDI controller. Read More

For guitarists who like to experiment, digital signal processing technology has opened up whole new worlds of tonal exploration and control. Unlocking the parameters, effects and features in computer-based software while playing can be a cumbersome affair though, often involving some nifty tap dancing on multi-effects units like the G5 or stopping every so often to adjust the settings on a tabletop MIDI controller. The Guitar Wing from Livid Instruments attaches to the instrument itself and offers wireless function control of software plug-ins, Digital Audio Workstations (DAW), iOS apps, MIDI effects and so on, all within reach of the picking hand and available while playing. Read More